Blutkrieg
by Verloren im Licht
Summary: A different Universe, a different set of Sternritter. AU. Several Ocs.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone! I know I've not uploaded anything in ages, but I was a bit busy. I also, have scrapped the entire idea of** _'Prinz Von Dunkel'_ **, which is a shame. Sorry to those of you who expected this to be the rewrite that I had promised.**

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 **This is going to be an OC Sternritter story, but with some of the originals still there. It follows the Thousand Year Blood War Arc, but the Sternritter are all different, and have taken quite a bit of time to think up.**

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 **I would love constructive criticism, but no flames please.**

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 **Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. I only own my OC characters (Actually, DO I even own those?).**

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 **With all that out of the way, here is the first chapter of** _'Blutkrieg'_ **.**

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 **A frosty road in the Silbern**

Romeo Ramirez ( **F** ) walked rapidly towards the Throne Room in the centre of the Silbern, where all Sternritter had been called to assemble. He was a tall, lean man with rust-coloured hair curved into horns and the hair on his chin styled in a manner reminiscent of a pharaoh's beard. He wore pure white military trousers, while his chest was bare, causing him to shiver in discomfort in the freezing cold of the Silbern. He grumbled about the cold under his breath, cursing himself for not wearing a shirt. Several shirts, in fact.

His companion noticed this, as she simply giggled before asking, "Well, I did tell you not to walk around the Silbern half-naked, didn't I? Although I must admit, I like the view." Viola von Vanderhaas ( **D** ) was a short, petite woman with short purple hair and lilac eyes that glimmered with mischief. She wore a frilly white skirt and top, and was clearly enjoying his plight. Goddamn woman.

He simply growled and swatted at her, causing her to dance away before sticking her tongue out at him. "God alone knows why I bear with you…" he muttered, causing her to grab onto his arm and yell loudly.

"Because you loooooooove me, Romeo!" He just sighed before shaking his head and continuing to walk on, now with a giggling woman attached to his arm.

"Man, you are so whipped!" a voice called out, causing him to turn towards the speaker, who continued, "And that too, when you're the one who runs around whipping everyone else! That's definitely a welcome change." Kestrel Schnee ( **S** ), walked up to the two, grinning broadly at them. Sometimes he felt like wiping that grin off of her face, but he knew that she was stronger than him, so he contented himself by just growling at her as well.

Viola simply laughed and hugged her friend before pulling back and saying in a mock stern voice, "Now, now! Don't be mean to the poor boy! And especially him with his short fuse." Kestrel laughed even harder at that, before taking a look at him and mouthing a quick 'Sorry'. He simply glared at her, before sighing in defeat.

"Even now, the two of you mock me. Can't you be serious just for this once?" he asked pleadingly. Viola seemed to give that some thought as they walked ahead, before replying in a cheerful tone.

"Nope!" This caused him to faceplant in the snow while Kestrel howled with laughter. Viola simply picked him up before grabbing onto both of their hands and dragging them along, with no apparent explanation.

"What the hell, woman!?" he roared. Viola simply glanced at him, before taking off even faster.

"We're getting late for the meeting, you dummy! I don't wanna be late!"

 **Throne Room**

They arrived at the throne room a short while later. As Viola looked around, he took the opportunity to catch his breath. He had known her for more than three hundred years, yet he could never figure out where she got all that energy from. Looking over at Kestrel, he realized that she was in a similar state as him. So he wasn't the only one who couldn't keep up with Viola. That was a relief. He didn't want the others to think that he was becoming rusty. Viola, however, paid no attention to his woes (as usual). "Thank God we're not late!" she exclaimed. "Look, there's Evan!" Waving at him, the three of them walked over to where the young man was sitting cross-legged, drinking from a gourd.

Evan Claus ( **E** ) looked up at them blearily before belching and slurring out a 'Hey.' He was a young-looking man, with dark hair tied in a messy ponytail and dark eyes. He wore the standard Sternritter uniform with a black shawl thrown over one shoulder. "Are you already drunk, you idiot?" Kestrel asked him.

He snorted. What did she think? The fool was always drunk. He said as much aloud at which Evan simply grinned sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. Romeo sat down next to the fool, before taking the offered gourd and drinking deeply. He needed that, what with all the annoying fools. "So why do you think His Majesty finally asked us to gather here?" Evan asked. Romeo, along with the other two, turned to look at Kestrel, who stared back blankly.

"What?"

Viola sighed. "You've recently been promoted to the Schutzstaffel, honey. Hasn't His Majesty told the elites his plan yet?"

Kestrel looked at her, sudden realization dawning on her face. "Ohhhh…. Well, he hasn't actually told us yet. Your guess is as good as mine." That surprised him. The Schutzstaffel were elite even among their fellow Sternritter, so it was expected that they would be told about the reason of the meeting beforehand. However, it seemed like His Majesty had hidden the reason behind the meeting from even his most trusted. That was most suspicious. What could He be planning? Could it possibly be- yes, that was it. The time must finally be here.

He glanced at Viola, whose thought process seemed to be the same as his. She suddenly piped up. "Who do you think is the strongest?" she asked. He wasn't surprised by her quick change of topic. If His Majesty was truly planning to declare war, as he thought He was, it would not be good to let mistrust brew in the minds of the younger ones. Moving on to Viola's question, his eyes scanned over all those in the room. All the Schutzstaffel were candidates, including some of the older Sternritter, like Mordock ( **M** ) and Theon ( **T** ). But only one of them was the strongest.

"Lazarus." He said, at the same time as the other two. He looked at the pair, before realizing that they had gone through the same train of thought as him. It was quite obvious, actually. Lazarus ( **L** ) was the oldest of the Sternritter, despite his youthful appearance. He was also the captain of the Schutzstaffel, and a veteran of the First War. Add to all this the fact that he was one of the only Sternritter who didn't derive his power from His Majesty, and you had yourself the strongest. Although he doubted that Evan and Kestrel knew about the last part. It was a closely guarded secret that only a few had been deemed worthy of knowing. His Majesty did not want anyone to think that there were Quincy who could be extraordinarily powerful without any sort of boost from Him. That would be bad for His reputation. Romeo was snapped out of his thoughts by a loud cry.

"All hail His Majesty Yhwach!" Romeo, along with the rest of the gathered Sternritter immediately stood at attention with a fist clasped to his chest, before relaxing as His Majesty raised his hand in acknowledgement. The Captain of the Soldat and His Majesty's right hand, Mikhail Engel ( **A** ) stepped up from behind Him. He was dressed in the standard uniform, his golden locks framing his blue eyes as he surveyed the Sternritter.

"My dear brethren," he began, his melodious voice flowing over them. "I am sure you must be wondering why we have gathered here today. His Majesty has a very important announcement for all of us." Romeo nodded. It was as he thought. Mikhail's words had just confirmed that. Yhwach surveyed his gathered Sternritter for a good long while, before He finally began.

"My loyal Sternritter," He said, His voice loud and booming and commanding request. "Too long have we patiently bided our time, while the ones who oppressed us lived without fear, thinking that they had finished us off. No more! The time is ripe for us to finish off our mortal foes! We shall rain vengeance upon them, and show them why they should not have attacked us! For once and for all, we shall finish this **Blutkrieg**!"

Romeo cheered loudly along with the rest of the Sternritter. Finally, the time was here. He would make the Shinigami regret harming his family.

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 **Translations**

Blutkrieg: German for Blood War

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 **And that's a wrap! So, how was the prologue? I hope you enjoyed it, and I truly hope that it was worth the wait. Also, a HUGE thank you to Ulquiorra9000, who actually agreed to Beta this story. If you haven't heard of them (kinda doubtful that you haven't), Ulqui-chan (can I call you that?) is a writer who has written several brilliant fanfics for many fandoms, including Bleach. My personal favourite is "My Big Fat Drabble Collection", which is over 280 chapters long, and still going.**

 **Have a great day and don't forget to review!**

 **~ Verloren im Licht**


	2. Chapter 2: Declaration

**Sorry I'm so late guys! I know it's been like four months or so, but I was really lazy. Then exams came, went and another set of exams came up. But I finally decided to update because I really wanted to continue this idea. So, I'm back with the next chapter of Blutkrieg. I really hoped you guys liked the idea so far. Enjoy this chapter!**

 **A huge thank you to Ulquiorra9000 for betaing. Sadly, they did not enjoy being called Ulqui-chan, so I have to look for a new nickname. Please send suggestions.**

 **Thanks to Antex- The Legendary Zoroark, Karlos1234ify and Magician of Khemet for following! Means a lot to me!**

 **Thank you again to Antex- The Legendary Zoroark for giving me their OC to use. If anyone else has a suggestion, here is a list of letters I don't have a Sternritter for:**

 **Q**

 **R**

 **Y**

 **That's all!**

 **Please feel free to send constructive criticism and ideas, but no flames please (Genryūsai has enough of those).**

 **Disclaimer: I am not Tite Kubo, and therefore, cannot possibly own Bleach.**

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 **Soul Society, First Division Barracks**

Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni sat at his desk, finishing off the last of his paperwork. He was just about to move on to the last bundle of papers when an unfamiliar male voice called out. "I see that you're arrogant as ever, Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni. To think yourself so powerful that you do not need any security is foolishness." As he finished his statement, a masked figure walked into view, flanked by two similarly dressed figures on each side.

"You speak as if you know me," the old man replied, barely even glancing up. "But I do not seem to know you. And I think that you are the arrogant one. If you think that I am so weak that I cannot defend myself, you are sadly mistaken. Run away now, and I shall let off with just a few minor burns."

The center figure sighed. "I had hoped you would remember me," he said. "But I suppose with old age comes loss of memory. I shall not hold it against you. As to why we are here, it is simple. We have been sent by the Wandenreich to declare war against you. In a week's time, your precious Soul Society shall be crushed."

Yamamoto stood up in anger at that statement.

"Crushed?" he thundered. "Do not be a fool! I was going to let you off with a slight toasting, but it seems that I-" He stopped when Chojiro Sasakibe's body flew through a wall and slammed into the opposite wall, where a massive arrow pinned him in place. The central figure's face was unseen, but the smile underneath seemed evident.

"There's a refresher for your memory, Yamamoto," he said, with his voice smug. "Now, if you excuse us, we must be off. It has been a pleasure."

Yamamoto pulled down Chojiro's body from the wall, before unsheathing his zanpakuto with a roar of fury, sending a wall of flames at the figures. As he did, the world in front of him seemingly shattered, revealing him to be alone in the room except for his lieutenant's corpse. His face stony, he picked up his beloved friend's body, before making the preparations to call for a Captain's Meeting.

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 **Silbern, Road leading to the Throne Room**

Clarissa Campbell ( **V** ) hurried to the Throne Room with her companions, snow turning to slush under her boots along the deserted road. The figure at her right pulled off his mask, revealing his spiky red hair and the fact that half of his youthful face was covered by yet another mask over his nose and cheeks. "Well done, Campbell," Lazarus ( **L** ) said, running a large metal gauntlet-like hand through his hair. "That ability of yours sure fooled the Head Captain."

Clarissa simply nodded her thanks before removing her own helmet, shaking her dark hair free.

Lazarus was an interesting fellow, she thought. The way he faced the Head Captain's attack without flinching was interesting, to say the least. Hmmm. She wondered how he would react if she tested him? She really wanted to see how strong the man was. Silently, she formed a screen a few meters in front of him, before projecting a vision of a huge wall of flames on it.

She was not disappointed. As the other three screamed in terror, Lazarus simply flicked a finger at the screen, shattering it and dispelling the vision. The next second, he disappeared, reappearing behind her in a flash. "What do you think you're doing, Campbell?" he demanded.

She blinked. He had moved too fast for her even to see. Truly, he was one of the elite. She was snapped out of her musings by a growl. Realizing that she needed to speak or else end up dead, she quickly answered. "Ah, about that. I just wanted to see how strong you were, you know? What can I say? I'm naturally curious." Judging from his glare, he was not amused. Oops.

She felt him move his finger to her temple. "Well then," he began, as his finger heated up, causing her to wince in pain as her skin blistered. "Since you're so curious, let me give you a firsthand impression of my Schrift."

Clarissa screamed in pain as he traced his finger down her cheek, leaving a trail of blistered flesh. He then dropped her to the floor before starting towards the Throne Room again. She raised a hand to her cheek, feeling the burnt flesh. That experiment was a partial success, she supposed.

She quickly jogged after the others, catching up just as they entered the Throne Room. All the Sternritter stood in position, while Yhwach sat in his throne. "How was it, Lazarus?" The father of the Quincy asked.

"Quite brilliant!" the redhead replied, a sort of sadistic glee filling his voice. "I gave the old man quite a refresher."

The corners of Yhwach's lips twitched. "Who was it? One of his precious seated officers?"

"Even better!" Lazarus replied. "His darling lieutenant, Sasakibe!"

Yhwach's face lit up at that.

So it seemed like killing that lieutenant had been more than just a simple warning, Clarissa realized. It seemed like he had been close to the Captain Commander. She wondered if that was why Lazarus hunted him down specifically. It seemed personal.

There was also the fact that Lazarus had lived through the first war, and probably knew the Captain Commander. But what made him hold such a deep personal grudge? The man was getting more interesting by the second. Even the searing pain in her face was worth the information. After all, knowledge was a person's strongest weapon.

She turned her attention back to Yhwach just in time to hear him dismiss all the Sternritter. She quickly manoeuvred her way through the throng, looking for a particular mop of teal hair. Spotting who she was looking for, she quickly made her way through the crowd to where Xaros Blackthorn ( **N** ) was talking to Askin Nakk Le Vaar ( **G** ). Sensing her, the two stopped talking to greet her.

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 **Silbern, Outside the Throne Room**

Xaros' greeting died in his throat as he looked at the large burn mark of Clarissa's face. Surely she hadn't… He turned to Askin, who looked like he was having similar thoughts. "What?" Clarissa asked, puzzled. "Is there something on my face?"

"Nothing except that…" he said, pointing to the burn. "What the hell did you do, Clarissa?" Clarissa, still seeming puzzled, put a hand to her face and her dark eyes widened in surprise as if she had just noticed it.

"Well…. I kinda pissed Lazarus off, y'know? He really got annoyed."

Xaros, indeed, did know, as did Askin. Both of them had once, in their foolishness, decided to prank the Captain of the Schutzstaffel. Needless to say, it had not gone well. That was the only time in his life Xaros had ever felt even a tiny sliver of fear. Shaking his head free from all these thoughts, he turned his single visible eye to Clarissa, before raising his eyebrow.

She understood immediately, and gave them a rundown of exactly what had happened and what she had done. Askin groaned when she had finished, shaking his head at her stupidity. Xaros felt like doing the same. Instead, he settled for making a sarcastic quip. "You know, even if someone's Schrift was C for The Curious, they wouldn't be this stupid." Askin snorted in laughter at that, while Clarissa brought a hand to her chest in a show of mock hurt.

"That's mean, Xaros!" she said, continuing her drama. "I thought we were best friends! How could you say that?"

He stared at her for a long moment before he finally replied. "Viola has really had a bad effect on you."

He walked away, leaving behind her indignant shout and Askin's guffaws. As he walked, he shook his head. He really needed to get himself some new friends. These two would be the death of him, what with their penchant for getting on people's bad sides. Although, he supposed, he wasn't one to talk. He had a way of pissing people off, too. His inner monologue was interrupted when Clarissa and Askin finally caught up, both seemingly serious again.

"Well?" Askin asked, turning to Clarissa. "Who's your bet on?"

Xaros looked at her too, interested now. This was a little game between the three of them. Each of them would bet on which Sternritter was going to die next. But the payment to the winner was unusual. Since they were three of the most secretive as well as curious individuals in the Wandenreich, the paid each other with… secrets. So far Xaros was in the lead, although they had played only twice, to be fair.

"Definitely not Lazarus," Clarissa replied. "I think that guy could even survive the apocalypse. Not any of the Schutzstaffel... they're not even going to be on the frontlines. No, my bet's on Bambietta. The crazy bitch is too headstrong; she's going to rush to her death. Yeah, my bet's on Bambietta for sure." Xaros considered that. True, Bambietta Basterbine ( **O** ) was extremely headstrong. And that Schrift of hers just made her more volatile. However…

"My bet is on P-Pett" he said. "I have a feeling that he isn't actually Sternritter P." P-Pett ( **P** ) was literally what his name suggested- a puppet. He was a wooden doll that literally had no background. Xaros was pretty sure he was hiding something or more accurately, someone.

"P-Pett, huh," Askin mused. "Pretty solid pick. I'm gonna go with Minerva. She's too damn overconfident about that Schrift of hers. It's gonna get her killed, for sure."

Xaros thought about that. What Askin was saying was true as well. Minerva Madden ( **I** ) was too overconfident. But, given the nature of her abilities, he doubted that Yhwach was going to be sending her to the frontlines anytime soon.

"Well, then, those are the final bets, correct?" Xaros asked them. They both nodded in agreement. "Great. Well, since we're preparing for a war and all, what about a little sparring?"

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 **Karakura Town, the next day**

Kurosaki Ichigo stood outside the Urahara Shoten, wondering what the mad scientist was up to now. He had given no reason for the summons, simply calling Ichigo to the store. Speaking of the man, there he was. "Urahara-san!" Ichigo yelled, waving at him. The man smiled at Ichigo as he pulled out that annoying fan of his and flipped it open.

"Ah, Kurosaki-san. I'm so glad you're here!"

"What's up, Urahara-san? Why'd you call me here?"

Urahara snapped his fan shut, his grin gone completely. "There has been an… incident in Soul Society." Noticing Ichigo's expression, he hurriedly continued, "Nothing major has happened, don't worry! But I thought it best to inform you, because your help may be needed soon."

Ichigo nodded at that.

"What exactly happened, Urahara-san?" he asked the shopkeeper. Before the man could reply, however, a Garganta opened in the sky and something rushed out at high speed.

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 **And that's a wrap! So, how was the chapter? I hope you liked it! Once again, sorry for the long delay! I'll try to update faster from now on!  
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 **Have a great day and don't forget to review!**

 **~Verloren im Licht**


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